In this file photo from July 23, 2014, Secretary of State John Kerry steps out from his plane at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv. / AFP/Getty Images

by Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY

by Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY

John Kerry found that out on Thursday, forced to fly United Airlines from Honolulu to Washington after his Air Force Boeing 757 suffered mechanical problems, The Washington Post reports.

Kerry had been in Hawaii as part of a week's worth of travels. But when his usual 757 went out of service, Kerry had to do what travelers everywhere must do: scramble to find another option.

For the Secretary, that meant a commercial United Airlines flight "hours later," according to the Post.

But Kerry seemed to take it in stride, according to the Post's account.

"Finally, some frequent-flier miles," Kerry is quoted as saying when staffers informed him of his new itinerary.

The Post report cites a State Department official "who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record." The problem with Kerry's Air Force 757, according to the source, was an electrical problem that required it to remain on the ground for repairs at Hawaii's Hickam Air Force Base.

However, while Kerry may have seen the silver lining in United frequent-flier miles, he's also apparently on record as wanting more reliable service on his Air Force 757.

The Post writes "Kerry often expressed frustration with his aging plane, which has previously run into technical problems during his global journeys that have made him one of the most traveled U.S. secretaries of state."

As for Kerry's latest travels, The New York Times says Kerry was returning to Washington after an itinerary that "took him to Afghanistan, Myanmar, Australia, the Solomon Islands and, finally, Hawaii, where he delivered a speech on Asia policy."

If Kerry did fly commercial more often, he'd have amassed quite a stash of miles. The Times calculates Kerry has flown more than 519,000 miles since February 2013 on trips that have taken him to 51 countries.